In 1996, OJJDP sponsored its first national conference, Juvenile Justice At The Crossroads. OJJDP asked national leaders to offer strategic and programmatic solutions to help the field address the changing nature and pattern of juvenile delinquency. Attorney General Janet Reno and other OJJDP staff joined approximately 700 participants, including personnel from State juvenile justice agencies, leading researchers in the field, judges, State and local policymakers, practitioners, members of public interest groups, and program administrators and directors.

During the 21/2-day conference, speakers discussed the changing nature of juvenile offenders, the impact of "get tough" measures on combating juvenile crime, community responses to juvenile crime and violence, innovative intervention and juvenile justice system strategies, tools to support juvenile justice professionals, and promising approaches in delinquency prevention programming. The conference also included a satellite teleconference broadcast, Has the Juvenile Court Outlived Its Usefulness? Conference proceedings are available online from JJC.

OJJDP plans to convene a national conference every other year; the next one will be held December 10-12, 1998, in Washington, D.C.